One of the most vulgar words in the American English language is a word that is considered so derogatory that the federal government made the decision in 1962 – 60 years ago — to remove it from official use. At that time, the word — “n****r” — was being used as the official name for hundreds of streams, mountains, lakes, canyons and other geographic features throughout the United States.
None of the geographic features in Indianapolis bore that name at that time.
Officially, the word was never applied to any creek or hill in Marion County.
But that word was used — for decades — to identify a specific section of Indianapolis.
“N****r Hill” appears to be the name given to the land located along railroad tracks of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (the Big Four Railroad) near Sherman Drive between Raymond Street and Prospect Street. The rail yard here created job opportunities. Jobs that provided employment — almost always manual labor — for Black men. These men then created a community around the rail yard. A community made up of primarily Black people.
Local folks used the name when talking of this area. Newspapers printed the name — many times in quotes.
This was casual racism at its best.
There were a number of newspaper articles where this derogatory name was used to reference this area. A few examples: On Sept. 12, 1890, The Indianapolis Journal included reference to “N****r Hill” yards in a news article with the headline of “Mishap to a Big Four Freight.” The newspaper put the name of the yards in quotation marks. On July 3, 1894, The Indianapolis Journal included a news article about activities at “N****r Hill yard,” with the derogatory name of the yards again in quotation marks.
The derogatory-named hill was evidently known throughout the railroad industry.
On March 23, 1901, The Indianapolis News included a modest news article with the headline of “Well-Known Nickname.” This news article stated that “There is not a railroad man from New York to San Francisco and from Portland, Ore., to Portland, Me., but has heard of ‘N****r Hill,’” said John Q. Hicks, general yardmaster of the Big Four “…I do not know of any spot of ground in the country that is better known among railroad men.”
An advertisement on July 10, 1902, in The Indianapolis News included the following wording: “WANTED – Fifty men to work on track at Big Four, Belt, or N****r Hill yards …”
According to a news article dated Aug. 2, 1902, in The Indianapolis News, “When the Big Four built its yards[,] there was a cottage or two in adjacent cornfields. Around the cottages other homes were built. The builders were colored men, who were employed as section laborers. Next a brickyard was opened east of the settlement, and other Negroes moved from the city to ‘N****r Hill’, as the place was then called. Later it received the name of Norwood.”
For a number of news articles in the 1910s and 1920s, both the derogatory name and the name of “Norwood” were used — typically in different news articles — to describe the same area of Indianapolis. The next edition of “What’s In A Name, Indy?” will expand on the history of Norwood.
The name “N****r Hill” appears to have stopped being used in the news media sometime after 1927. The Indianapolis News used the wording “Negro Hill yards” as the name for this locale in a news article dated Aug. 25, 1930. This news article referenced a man, identified as “colored,” that was killed by a train at the Big Four Railroad crossing at Keystone Avenue. The news article noted that the train had left the Shelby Street roundhouse on the railroad to go to “Negro Hill yards.”
Thus, it appears that “Negro Hill” was the replacement name used for “N****r Hill.” It is not certain for how long that name was used in the area.
While Indianapolis and Marion County never officially used that derogatory word as the name of any locale, geographic feature, or roadway, other communities in Indiana did so.
In other areas of the state, the derogatory word was officially used as a name for several geographic features. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) database noted that a stream with the name “N***r Creek” and “N****r Creek” was renamed as “Negro Creek” in Miami County. (The name of the creek included the derogatory word spelled both with one “g” as well as two of those letters – “gg.”)
In Vigo County, a canal with the name “N****r Ditch” was renamed as “Negro Ditch,” according to the USGS.
In Jackson County, the USGS noted that “Negro Creek” is the current name for a waterbody. There is no official indication that the derogatory word had been used officially for this stream previously to its current name.
One of the most public official designations using this derogatory word was that of “N****r Hill Road” in East Columbus (now part of Columbus) in Bartholomew County. In addition, at least one other Indiana community also had a street with that derogatory name, while at least one other community in the state had a hill along a roadway with this derogatory name.
On the front page of The Evening Republic on July 3, 1907, the newspaper included a headline of “Name of N****r Hill Road Is Abandoned.” The news article stated, “Thoroughfare Has Been Named McKinley Avenue by the Agreement of Citizens. The citizens living along ‘N****r Hill’ Road in East Columbus evidently feel that there is something in a name, or at least something in the sound of a name, for they have mutually agreed that N****r Hill Road shall henceforth be known as McKinley Avenue … The highway has been known for many years as the N****r Hill Road and it got its name from a number of colored people who formerly lived on a hill over which the road runs … the people living along it feel that it should have a more dignified name and very wisely have decided to change it.”
While the name was officially changed in 1907, that did not mean that the previous derogatory name was not used in subsequent years. In fact, dozens of news articles and advertisements included the previous derogatory name as the name for this roadway. On the front page of The Evening Republican on Oct. 8, 1947, it was reported that “…the [Bartholomew County] commissioners also discussed the possibility of taking action on closing N****r Hill Road on each side of the ford at Clifty creek east of the city [of Columbus].”
As late as Nov. 15, 1968, you could view an advertisement in The Republic newspaper of Columbus inviting people to a public auction on “…N****r Hill Road or Base Road…”
But that wasn’t the last time an advertisement noted a location in Indiana with that derogatory name. On April 12, 1985, the Seymour Daily Tribune included an advertisement that stated “Since I am breaking up housekeeping, I will sell the following at public auction, located 8 miles west of Seymour on State Route 258 at the foot of N****r Hill, turn south one-half mile on…”
Do you have questions about communities in Indianapolis? A street name? A landmark? Your questions may be used in a future news column. Contact Richard McDonough at whatsinanameindy@usa.com.
